NEW YORK — Andy Roddick has been a Miami Heat fan since 2001.
So he feels a little defensive about the whole LeBron James situation. He’s no frontrunner.
“I’m fine,” he said Monday after winning his first-round match at the U.S. Open over Stephane Robert of France. “I’m just sick of defending my fanhood. I was going to the games in ’01 when they were paying people to come.
“Obviously, I was in Boca for a long time and went to four or five home games a year. Obviously, I’m excited. I was just hoping and praying that they resigned Dwyane [Wade]. When [Chris] Bosh came I was ecstatic and then when LeBron came it was bordering on ridiculous.”
“Like everyone else, I’m excited to see how it all goes together.”
The tennis star has homes in Austin, Texas and New York. He won the U.S. Open in 2003 and is battling mononucleosis as he attempts to win a second major title here.
“I feel 80 percent better than I did five, six weeks ago, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s going the right way. Once you decide to play you throw all excuses and everything out the window.
“If I decide to play it’s up to me to give 100 percent of what I have. It’s not something I want to discuss too much from this point forward. It’s there. I’m not going to analyze it every day.”
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